St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-08
Report Of the Special Com
mittee to Investigate the
Prison Scandal.
EX-Wapden Reed EXonerated
From the Charges Of I'M
morality in Office.
The Charge Against Stordoek
of Conspiracy Is Handled
Very Lightly.
Mild CensuPe for the Prison
Matron, Mrs. McNeal, and
Her Husband.

The report of the special committee of
investigation of charges against j. A.
Reed, ex-warden of the state prison, was
submitted to the headquarters of the
eXecu tive department yesterday. The
committee comprised Hon. H. r. Wells,
of Preston; Hon. G. H. Berry, of
Winona. and ID. c. Bell. of Minneapolis,
and it was not until yesterday forenoon
that Mr. Bell affixed his signature to the
report. Then Secretary Hart, of the
state board of corrections and charities,
brought it to the capitol, and, in the alb
sence of Gov. McGill and Private Secre-
tary Moore, Will Angel locked it up in
the vault. The delay in getting
the report ready for the governor
has been due, so Secretary Hart
said, to the fact that it had to be sent
around for examination and signatures.
and to the fact that there were some
corrections that had to be made. The
document is big one, including stack
of some scores of pages of type writer
copy of complaints, evidence and CORE
spOndence, while the report proper COW
ers about sixteen pages, also in type
writer. The report finds no evidence
on which the eX-Warden can be found
guilty, and does not go into the case OF
alleged conspiracy against Warden
StOrdOck TO any great extent. Secre-
tary Hart was interviewed by GLOBE
reporter as to the reason for this.
1.-The committee only dealt with such
evidence on this point as had come
out during its own ilveStiga
tiOns," said he. ''Gov. McGill, as
the public is aware, asked that the
committee make the investigation
searching on all matters other than
that covered by the charges of Warden
StOrdOck. but when it came TO the con-
spiracy. Mr.. Marsh refused TO submit
the. evidence against Mr.. StOrdock, if
there is any, holding that under the
statutes the committee had no authority
to handle this question which is now i'll
the courts. SO far as any evidence on
this point came out it was examined,
and there is clause in the report cOY-
ering this"
The report briefly reviews the case.
1t says that the inspectors of the prison
and the warden, Mr.. StordOck, took part,
and that the record of the sessions was
kept by Secretary Hart. 1t then comes
to business.
THE REPORT.
The charges were formulated at the
request of the committee by Warden
StOrdOck. The committee finds, on the
charge of the misrepresentation of prop
ertY, that the charge in general is not
sustained, but takes up the six specifca-
tions in detail. The committee finds that
lumber and other property was sold
and no account kept on the
books of the prison. 1t was claimed
by Mr.. Reed, and not disputed, that
this was done with the consent of the
inspectors. The reason for this irreg-
ularity by Mr.. Reed and the inspectors
was the emergency caused by the fire,
which led to the use of these funds in
stead of turning them into the state
treasury as is ordinarily done. The
committee censures Mr.. Reed and the
Inspectors for this, believing that all
public funds should be accounted for
on proper vouchers. Yet, from the
evidence given by Mr.. Reed and the in
SpectOrS. the committee believes that
these funds were. in fact. fairly dis
burSed for the use of the state.
On the second and third specification,
relating to the use by the warden for
his family of prison supplies, the re-
port says there were more or less trans
actions of this nature which were, the
committee finds, accounted for, the war
den having made exchanges for such
goods. No record was made of these
exchanges. This want OF petty ac-
count has resulted not so much in loss
to the state as to Mr.. Reed, in leaving
ground for suspicion. But the practice
is bad and deserves cenSure. As to the
specification charging Warden Reed
with selling lard, grease, etc, without
accounting for it, the committee says
the evidence shows a revenue of about
of which there is about 800 per year
that is not accounted for, though the
testimony of Reed and SmithSOn. the
steward, is that this was used in the
purchase of other supplies.
Specification fine charged Mr.. Reed
with paying his own cigar bills and
charging it to tobacco for the prison.
Mr.. Reed testified that he bought cigars
for visitors and they were charged to
smoking" In his actions on this point
the committee finds no cause for cen
sure. Specification six charged Mr..
Reed with employing female cOnvicts
to do his own homework. This was adj
mitted by Mr.. Reed and justified on the
ground of precedent, and was with the
knowledge and consent of the inspect
ors. The committee says it does not
approve of this from business stand
point, but makes no cenSure in view of
the circumstances.
The second general charge related to
the appropriation of funds belonging to
cOnvictS. This charge is not sustained.
The committee says it will not be nee
eSSary to examine these specifications
at length. They are made OH very care
less inquiry and without proper inveSti
CATION. The committee finds that the
money claimed to have been misappro-
priated was given to Mr.. Reed for Spe
cific purposes, and in the interests of the
cOnvicts. and was so spent as far as
practicable, and the balance has been.
and is, held subject to their order. On
the third specification, regai ding the
purchase of freedom suits, the commit
tee finds that the suits were in each case
worth what was paid for them.
THE CHARGE OF IMMORTALITY.
The third charge was the most seri-
Gus. that of immoral conduct with fe-
male prisoners while in office. The evil
dence resolved the charge into allega-
tons of criminal conduct with two
women. Mary WaiShait and Azilda
Beaudry. Each had been convicted of
the murder of her husband, and both
were of acknowledged i'll repute, before
the murders. The woman WaiShait had
previously made an affidavit strongly
lulpucdlluS MI. nNcal; dliu NiIcIl
brought before the commission
fatty refused to testify or be sworn.
At subsequent session she came for
ward as a witness and denied all her
former statements. Charles HunSter
testified TO having Witnessed improper
acts between Mr.. Reed and the woman
WaiShair, but Munster contradicted
himself directly on the witness stand.
One of his two stories was palpably
false and his evidence was wholly with
out weight. The matron of the prison,
Mrs. Sarah McNeal. and her husband,
George c. McNeal, testified to certain
vague suspicious, based Oil remarks and
,,-ronrIinr- arpnpu tia fpuola couvictS